Benefits of Viparita Karani or Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose

Viparita Karani or legs up the wall pose
We think of yoga as something active, where the body is in motion and we position the body and limbs in various different ways. While movement is a major part of yoga, there are certain positions that do not really need us to do anything active or move much. For instance, shavasana or the corpse pose requires no movements to be made, however, it has a host of benefits. Similar...
Read More

Are You Ready for Advanced Yoga & Why It Doesn’t Matter

advanced yoga class
Sometimes a student at my yoga class may ask me this – am I ready for an advanced class? Do you think I am ready for more demanding yoga postures? This is a question that I answer based on what I see of my student’s progress as well on their own assessments and fitness goals. Let us speak today advanced yoga classes, what they entail, readiness for them, and why, in the end, i...
Read More

The Yoga Sutras – Ashtanga or the Eight Elements of Practice

Ashtanga - 8 limbs of Yoga
These days, Patanjali is a household name because of the consumer goods and food products made by the company of the same name. However Sage Patanjali is actually an important figure of Indian history. He was a sage, philosopher and writer of several treatises that remain relevant today. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is an ancient text that forms the basis for the yoga that we ...
Read More

Yoga Central Turns 8! Time to Partyyyy…

Yoga Central Turns 8
Yoga Central completed 8 years in September 2022, and some of the students came together to celebrate. The party was a blast, and we truly missed the ones who couldn't make it. While every class sees all the students rushing out once it's over to get on with their days, the party gave us all an opportunity to get to know each other well, and bond at a higher level. Stud...
Read More

Yoga Mudra – What Is It, Types of Yoga Mudras & Their Benefits

Yoga Mudras
The word Mudra lends itself to many meanings depending upon the context that it is used in: dance, finance, religion, sculpture, communication and of course, yoga. We often think of yoga as a series of physical exercise. However, as I always say, it is a mind-body system that encompasses physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. The concept of yoga mudra is a part of the yogic...
Read More

Kriya Yoga: How to Perform & Benefits of Yogic Kriyas.

Sutra Neti Kriya
We often hear the term Yogic Kriya or Kriya Yoga – this is often mistaken to be just another form of yoga postures or aasans developed by prominent yoga gurus, but this is not so. Yoga Kriya refers to a centuries old system comprised of physical and spiritual systems of kriya or action, not necessarily aasans or physical exercises. Today, let us explore what is kriyas in yoga,...
Read More

Why Developing the Drishta (Drishtu) Attitude Is Important

Drishta (drishtu) attitude
As we all know, yoga isn't just a set of physical exercises but more of a whole system for living life. Yoga directs us to stay fit with the help of exercises, breathing exercises and healthy eating. Not only that, we are also prescribed meditation and the development of certain yogic attitudes for better mental wellbeing. There is the concept of Ahimsa that requires us to cul...
Read More

Fear vs. Faith – How to Banish Fear by Creating Faith

Fear vs Faith
Fear is something that I have noticed in many of the people who approach me for yoga therapy and counselling. It may be an unarticulated fear. People often don’t even realise that they have all these fears, but are nevertheless inhibited and limited by them. It may be the fear of change, of the unknown, of taking a chance, of failure, and strangely, even the fear of success. W...
Read More

Is This The Right Yoga Class For Me? How to Tell

Right Yoga Class for Me
The other day I was chatting with a cousin who lives abroad. He asked how to choose a yoga class for himself. When he did a Google search for yoga classes close to home, he got a few options; some of them being highly recommended by students too. But how do I know which yoga class is right for me, he asked. When I do start to attend a class, what do I look for in a yoga class ...
Read More

How to Manage Stress Effectively with Yoga

Yoga for Stress Management
Did you know stress produces mental as well as physical symptoms? Apart from the fact that stress makes us short tempered and irritable, it also causes muscle pain and tension, headaches, tiredness, indigestion and loss of libido. So, there are very good reasons for all of us to find ways to lower and remove stress from our lives. As a mind-body system of wellness, yoga is one...
Read More